Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 287: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of the EU single farm payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [41807/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that an application for the Transfer of Entitlements under the 2006 Single Payment Scheme from the first person named to the joint names of the two persons named was submitted on the 27th of October 2006. The application was accepted even though the closing date for receipt of completed applications to transfer entitlements was 16 May 2006. This application has now been fully processed and payment in respect of 76.25 transferred entitlements will issue shortly.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 288: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason the area based payment has not been awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Galway. [41808/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the 2006 Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 25 April 2006. The processing of this application is being finalised by my Department and it is expected that payment will issue shortly.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the 2006 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 28 April 2006. Following processing of the application, it was found that part of the land included by the person named on her SPS application was also the subject of a claim under the 2006 Scheme by another applicant. Following correspondence with both parties, it was confirmed that the person named was not entitled to claim the land in question. The regulatory penalty was applied, which resulted in a 100% penalty under the 2006 Scheme. The person named has been advised of this and of her right to appeal this decision to the Agriculture Appeals Office.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 290: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of farmers who have qualified for the single farm payment in County Mayo; the number who have been awarded to date; and the number outstanding. [41817/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Applications were received from 13,069 Mayo herd owners under the 2006 Single Payment Scheme and, to date, payment has issued to approximately 89% of these applicants.

Delays in processing can be caused by many factors, including incomplete application forms, errors on applications and discrepancies highlighted following computer validation, which must be resolved via correspondence with the applicant. The majority of those cases, which have yet to receive payment, are where applicants did not submit an application to transfer the Single Payment entitlements, with lands, by way of inheritance, gift, lease or purchase.

My Department will continue to issue payments to farmers, as outstanding problems are resolved.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 291: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the allocation from the national reserve that has been allocated to a person (details supplied) in County Galway. [41841/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the 2005 Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Category B.

Category B caters for farmers who made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable during the reference period 2000-2002. Investments can include purchase or long term lease of land, purchase of suckler and/or ewe quota or other investments. The person named applied under Category B(ii) in relation to the purchase of suckler quota and has been deemed successful.

A formal letter outlining my Department's decision on the National Reserve has issued to the person named and payment will issue shortly.